Stephanie Hanson
Innovating Locally, Thinking Globally (from Arts Watch)
Posted by Jul 20, 2011
Stephanie Hanson
Earlier today, I had the chance to listen in on a talk by National Endowment for the Arts Local Arts Agencies & Challenge America Director Michael Killoren as he was speaking to a group of Americans for the Arts and NEA interns.
As he spoke about his career path and what he’s learned thus far, one thing he said stood out to me: Most innovation is happening at the local level.
We spend a lot of time, energy, and resources advocating for increased dollars for the arts at the federal and state level, which is important and that work should continue. However, I believe a focus on what’s happening culturally at the local level in what we estimate to be 19,000 cities is equally important to pay attention to. This is one reason why I am very excited about the upcoming Emerging Leader blog salon, titled Emerging Ideas: Seeking and Celebrating the Spark of Innovation, taking place July 25-29 on ARTSblog.
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